Deer Country Network

[sansa looks...worried. she wears her new things from madame generosity, including a long sleeved dress covered in iridescent leather pieces that could be scales or feathers, and a feathered padded collar with silver direwolf caps (lady, at her side, has one to match). her needle necklace hangs from a silver hoop and clips into the side of her wide leather belt with the rest of her chatelaine.

she's quilting something in her lap, and the direwolf tapestry behind her couch no longer has antlers. there are silver scales on her face and hands, which are looking very well-moisturized.]

Hallo, this is Sansa Stark. I was wondering if anybody has had any luck in finding mushrooms for Madame Generosity. Winter and I went to look at the place where got them for The Tower, but we couldn't find any there. I wanted to know if anyone has looked at any of the other places and found mushrooms. I suppose we could always use the compasses to try and scout more of them, otherwise.

[mounting an expedition of unknown length during winter is of course not ideal...even if the weather seems to be easing up, and there's only going to be one month of it left. she sighs and sticks her needle in her pile of quilting.]

Madame Generosity has always been very kind and helpful, and I don't like to see her suffer. Besides, I imagine it could be very dangerous if The Doorway falls ill, and we had best be well-stocked of the mushrooms for treatment.

[hopefully someone has discovered an abundant new source of mushrooms, perhaps in a mysterious city of some kind with a temple dedicated to an enemy pthumerian who has been behind the mysterious plague all along!!!]

[The feed opens up to Johnny Lawrence staring at the screen like he isn't aware that it's currently life. He's looking incredible thoughtful as his fingers type down a message. It's... very uncharacteristically thoughtful of him. It would almost be hard to peg him as the same person if not for the occasional pause to take a swig of beer.

After a moment he stops. His eyes scan over the screen again as he carefully reads back what he's written. Then there's a little flick of annoyance that shifts to frustration.]

No this is stupid.

[He whacks the screen before standing up putting and shoving it aside lightly.]

You don't apologize. That shows weakness-

And there's no wea-

[The feed shuts off.]

[And a moment later another message comes through via text.]

Dear Robby,

I just wanted to apologize for what happened at Miyagi-Do the other day. I didn't want things to break into a fight, especially not like the one that did. I wanted to come and support you and what you had chosen to do. But I thought if I showed up in any sort of Eagle Fang gear it would be taken as a challenge. It turns out it did anyways as well an insult to your training ground.

All I can say is I'm sorry. You have every right to be mad at me.

If you can find it in your heart, don't blame Paul for this. He's a good kid who just got roped into the mess I made.

Johnny.

-

Dear Daniel LaRusso,

I'm sorry for the scene I caused at your dojo. I didn't mean any disrespect to Miyagi-Do and, I wasn't looking to reopen any can of worms between us.

I've been trying my best to support Robby and respect his wishes to give him space since he got here. And even though he told me that he'd be helping you reopen your dojo. It still hurt that he chose to stick by you instead of give me a chance to prove that I can be there for him.

It's why I showed up to the dojo in the fucking plumbers get up. I panicked and thought if I showed up doing anything karate related it'd be seen as disrespecting your dojo or a direct challenge to what you were doing.

Turns out it was both either way. Go fucking figure I'd screw it up that bad.

I'll do my best to keep my distance from your dojo. But don't blame Paul for this. He's a good kid and he just got pulled into my bullshit.

Johnny.

-

Dear Paul,

I'm sorry for dragging you into that mess. My relationship with Robby and LaRusso is a shit show on the best of days. And instead of owning up to that like a sensei should, I threw you into the middle of it. I put you in a position where you had to face the consequences of every bad decision I've made in my life. You didn't deserve that.

I keep telling you that I'm not going to fail you again. And then I go and do it all over again.

The way you stood up after all of that and apologized for what had happened. I just

I wish I could be half the man you were in that moment.

Don't blame LaRusso or Robby for what happened there. They were just trying to get at my while I hid behind you.

You're the real badass here.

Johnny

[Maul's doing a little better than he has been the past few months. At least he's not all corrupted into insanity like he was for a couple of weeks in July or about to breakdown after his video in June. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice he's got a new piece of jewelry. On the ring finger of his left hand, there's a black, sparkly wedding band made of Darkblood. Yep, Maul got hitched. But who would be crazy enough to marry the Zabrak Sith Lord? A question one can ask if they're feeling especially brave.]

Everyone always thinks they're the hero in their own story. And it's easy to justify that you are no matter what you do because you're the main character in your mind. No one ever wants to admit they're just one of the side characters or even the villain. And how do you even know when you've become the bad guy? It's easy to say what actions you undertake are for the greater good or at least something that will get you what you want. You keep telling yourself that until you look around one day and see the only monster around you is yourself.

[He leans forward.]

I am very fond of stories. So I'll tell you a story about a villain from my world and you can tell me one about a hero or villain from yours in return.

Once upon a time, there was a young man who had darkness in his heart. He coveted power amongst all else and to that end he committed many monstrous acts to gain it. When he saw that his family stood in his way, he killed them all without thought. Over the years, he gained power but it was never enough. Always, he wanted more. Eventually, he realized that no matter how much power he possessed, he would lose it all when he died. And so he sought to gain immortality.

He eventually found a Sith Lord, very old and wise, who told him he had discovered the secret to living forever. "Become my apprentice, do everything that I command, and I will teach you my secret," he told the man. And so he did. Day after day, year after year, he obeyed the Sith Lord, committing many more atrocities in his quest to gain immortality.

He would often ask the Sith Lord, "Am I ready?"

The response was always the same. "Not yet."

After many years the man, no longer as young as he once was, began to grow impatient. He went to his master. "I have done all that you asked. Teach me what you promised."

The Sith Lord merely laughed in his face. "You will never be ready to learn."

The man felt rage rise up within him. "Why not?"

"Because only a Sith who has no fear can conquer death. But you? You will always fear dying no matter what you do and so you will never master the secret of immortality," the Sith Lord told him with contempt.

The Sith apprentice was furious. He felt he had been lied to and so he waited. His master never slept, for he had seen the future and knew he would die in his sleep, but his apprentice was cunning. Eventually, he got his master drunk, and the Sith Lord finally fell asleep. So the apprentice took up his lightsabers, stabbing his master in his hearts, and killing him. Only then did his anger abate and he realized he still did not know the secret to living forever.

He would spend the rest of his life seeking it out and never finding it until the day he died, always shackled by his fear instead of facing it head on and conquering it instead. He used the power he'd acquired to create a vast empire that stretched throughout the entire galaxy but still it was not enough. Always he was afraid of what was to come at the end of his life. And when he finally died, betrayed by his own apprentice as usually happens with Sith Lords, it was done so screaming in fear as he realized he had failed in his lifelong ambition.

[He pauses for a moment, examining his claws without looking up.]

That was a true story by the way. It is called the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise. Sith Lords often have a dramatic way of doing things, especially when it comes to teaching their apprentices.

[The video opens to Lance with cat ears (again), a tail swishes behind him. There's the sound of painful squelching as Keith off screen goes through some more gruesome transforming and he winces, looking over at him. It seems to have been mild this time at least, and Lance goes for the rambling jokes because that's how you deal with someone you care about going through that, right?]

Okay, soooo who here's never done the horizontal tango? Made the beast with two backs, knocked some boots, jumped some bones- [there is the sound of shifting of bone and he hums, rethinking] Forget that last one, but by now if you don't know what I mean, here's a few more for you: a little afternoon delight-

[Keith groaned a bit, his teeth audibly clenched as he scolded a, "LANCE!" from the background, though that didn't seem to deter the Blue Paladin from continuing.]

-pounded the punani pavement, shook the sheets, the old in-out, shot the meat rocket into the sausage hole, bam-bam in the ham, rolled in the hay, boppin' squiddles, cattle-prodding the oyster ditch with the lap rocket. Fucking hell, made whoopee!

Seriously, I could keep going, but if your answer is 'never done that, what are you even talking about', some guy in Gaze told me your blood cures this whole- [he gestures at himself and then glances off camera at the sound of a grunt from Keith.] mess. Noooot that I wanna cure myself, I can take it, but some people I know need it and aren't gonna ask because their heads are nothing but dumb hair and no brains.

[A bit of an unhinged laugh to himself/some internal conversation as he looks down and to the side. There's a growl from the background, possibly from Keith? (Definitely from Keith.) Then he jerks himself back.] Yeah, anyway, if you fit the bill call me before my idiot b-teammate turns into something that eats my face. I'm too pretty for that.

[There may have been a time when Lance knew virgin blood was blood that hadn't been used in a ritual, but the draugr's fucked with his already recently fucked memory. So enjoy.]

I would like to ask for advice.

Last month, I badly hurt someone.

I don't like them, but they didn't deserve what I did to them.

And this person is important to people who are important to me, too.

What should I do? I don't know if an apology is enough. I don't know if they even want an apology, and I don't know what to do if they need more.




Thank you for taking the time to read this, even if you can't respond.

[Echo appears and immediately begins speaking. Her body language is mostly calm and collected, and her expression is an inquisitive one. This is notable due to the fact that she simultaneously has watery eyes with the occasional tear escaping down her cheeks. Her typical almost-monotonous voice does have a bit of a strain to it.]

Hello. I have another question.

Why would someone returning to the sea cause another person sadness? The knowledge that they are safe, content, and not... [Her lips tighten as she pauses.] ...not experiencing any troubles is entirely satisfactory. Particularly for an association that was previously thought to be certainly concluded.

[Echo shakes her head a bit.]

I do not understand it.

[After an awkward moment of silence, she gives a quick bow of her head.]

Is this thing on?

[ The camera opens on a man, but there is something horribly inhuman about his eyes: they are black from edge to edge, the iris burning with a ring of white light. He is flanked by two skeletons which stand at attention, each with a speck of glowing red in their shadowed eye sockets. ]

Been a while since I had to do this. Hey, hello, kia ora. You face the King Undying, the Necrolord Prime.

( cw: mild body horror (corruption); religious themes; topics of mass death, violent imperialism, human sacrifice likely )

[ A familiar song starts up, and the video opens to reveal a lone young woman, dancing in an abandoned warehouse. The cots on the floor only add to the ambiance. ]

Hey, what’s up, Trench? [ The dancing continues. ] This is a callout post for John Gaius. You might know him? Shit sense of humor, black eyes, calls himself Teacher. He fucked over the ocean, recently. Hard to miss.

( cw: mentions of child death, extinction events, gaslighting, abuse, locked tomb spoilers )

I wonder.

[In view was a rose bush, a pale hand cupping a rose of delicate blue, others yet to bloom and some still with their petals curled close within the shot. Moving then, downwards as fingertips brushed open petals of another.]

Does anyone have a particularly favorite color of rose?

[The one under Alice's touch slowly darkened in color, going from shades of blue to purple to pink-]

These have been coming along well.

[A project she'd taken up with Break, once things had settled between them and weren't so tender. A play with Darkblood abilities, and of course she'd taken to it like a duck to water. Of course it was a project she'd let take up a lot of her time, a distraction from things that had been going on.

A want of seeing beautiful flower gardens once upon a time not a terrible inspiration to sink time in to. A creative outlet.]

Whether the color has meaning to you or not, isn't it nice to see something you like? Perhaps thought you might never again, even something so small as a rose of a particular hue.

U-Um..

[ When the video starts, the girl visible looks clearly shaken up. She's looking a little pale, but it mostly seems to be since she's scared - since it matches the way her eyes look wider than usually, and the way she's breathing a little hard, like she's been running around for a while now. There's even some drops of sweat at her temples because of it. ]

I'm sorry to bother everyone. [ Despite her state, it's like she somehow can't help but mutter those words first, even offering a faintly apologetic bow of her head before she quickly glances around her and then speaks on. ] But, I-- I.. think I'm in danger, and I don't know what to do about it..

[ A valid reason to ask a question on here, one might say, and yet Chizuru seems so awkward about it all the same. ]

The other day I started seeing ghosts here around town. Um, ghosts I.. I recognize. I'm not sure if they're ghosts, but I can't imagine what else they'd be.. [ Because it's clearly not those people actually being there. ] At first it was just me seeing them and nothing else, but now every time I see one, they rush towards me to try and attack me. It's..

[ She hesitates, but then admits, helplessly, stammering-- ]

It's scary. It's really scary.. Has anyone else experienced this? Or.. what should I do..? I really don't know..

[since sansa is married to lemoncakes, eating the cursed lemon snacks at the festival trapped her in a vicious cycle of lemon and sugar overconsumption, until the stomachache her mother always warned her about finally caught up with her late saturday night. she used all her training, both from sasuke's ninja school and canon, to steal anything and everything with lemon in it on the boardwalk, and now she feels terrible. feel free to assume she stole from your character!! if caught in the act she would have lied to their face about it, flawlessly.]

I'm very sorry if I stole your lemoncakes. I was not in control of myself. I would make you new ones, but I'm afraid all the lemons have been cursed.

I could make you cakes with oranges or strawberries instead.

Alayne Stone

Ladies and Gentleman may I have your attention~!

[Minako gave a wide a smile as she could muster. In the background she seemed to be in the kitchen with something cooking and currently she was not paying no attention at all.]

Now it is the month of June and this month is a super important month for Usagi-chan~ because it's her birthday at the end of it. Now from what I know in the previous place June was not exactly a good month for her birthday but we don't know if that is the case this month or not. Because of that I will be trying my hardest to make it a great day for her.


And if anything tries to put a damper on it. I will personally pinch whatever it is in whatever can be punched, you hear?

[And yes she was being 100% serious with that one.]

I also have a few more announcements~ For one I have finally started to write more songs, so next month I will be putting on my first ever concert. It's different from just singing on the street, so look forward to hearing my beautiful voice~

Second of all I am still doing my whole love advice thing for those who need it. Also can do friendship advice.

Finally to all your beautiful people I am here to say that this beautiful goddess here is officially engaged~! Its a shocker, right?

[She gives a cheesy kind of of a wink as in the background it seems like something if burning. It takes a moment for Minako to noticed the smell of smoke before turning her head. Her once smiley demeaner changed to one of panic.]

Ah! My food!

If your presence in this place only brought corruption and made everything worse, would you return to the ocean? Blood can not be shed here, but if you can't avoid it, then what are you meant to do?

I know I am selfish for wanting to exist, but I still would like to, even in a place like this.

I'm just not sure how.

You are seventeen years old.
( a murder of crows )

content warnings: discussion of menstruation and puberty, baus-related beast transformation, complex yet flippant feelings about dead mom stuff

[ Alice's body has been up to some distressing changes. She's under the impression that every single one of them are normal things that happen to a young maiden of a certain age, which is not entirely correct. She has questions, and absolutely does not trust any of the people she lives with to give her a correct answer. Hence, the decision to ask absolutely everyone in Trench at once, because shame is something that happens to other people. ]

( tragic victorian orphan seeks life advice )

PIZZA MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY #1

1. What are the best pizza toppings (and nothing weird like anchovies)?

2. Thin crust or thick crust?

3. Do you like orange soda?

4. Do you know how replicate orange soda here?

5. What are your preferred pizza eating hours?

6. How often would you use a horse-based delivery service? Would it depend on what kind of horse showed up at your house with the pizza? Would it matter if the horse was fucking terrifying?

Thank you all for your input.

[There was some adjusting before the young and very pale girl sat back, looking past as if something was holding whatever was recording-]

Just keep it steady, Dinah!

[-letting out a breath then, sitting on a spread blanket and a basket just in view beside her covered with a cloth.

That was definitely a few gravestones in the background. All the same, Alice kept her tone surprisingly bright, even calm.]

Hello, I'm Alice. I know some of you are still popping in and out of the catacombs- or perhaps you're waiting for someone else to come up? Well, I live nearby and figured some of you might like some food after what bits of horror can be going on down there.

Food can be very comforting after all, right?

[A tap of a finger against the basket's side.]

I've a few hand pies of various flavors, along with more savory empanadas that someone kindly taught me about, and how to make. Hopefully I am very easy to spot if you are already out here! If not, I can try to come to you.

[She might look familiar to those who have met her darker haired twin also named Alice.]

Ah- I've also some tea on hand, if any desire a cup.

[The video starts with a very close-up view of Mebh's face as she tries to figure out if her Omni is even working or not. She hasn't made much of an effort to use the Omni up until now, since she's not familiar with this kind of technology at all. Eventually she pulls away; though the camera is still at a noticeable angle, the backdrop looks as though she's somewhere around the Waystation, since the windmill can be seen. She's flanked on either side by two grey, yellow-eyed wolves, one of whom leans forward to sniff at the camera for a moment before Mebh rolls her eyes and nudges it away.]

Robyn said I could use this thing to talk to people. [Her expression briefly changes to a sadder one. Mentioning Robyn hurts. Robyn had said they would look for their parents together while they were here, but now she's gone and Mebh can't find her. Though she can't dwell on that right now, because she has a Complaint.]

So isn't there a real forest around here? Not like the Trenchwood place. There's nothin' good in there and it smells all nasty.

[And there's something about it that seems even worse at night; she can't bring herself to go in when it's dark out, because even she can tell it's not safe, though she's not going to admit that easily.]

But I'm not livin' in the town. Not ever. Dunno how anybody can stand all those smells.

[There's a very stubborn look in her eyes when she says this. Even if this world is more dangerous than the one she remembers and there are far worse things living here than people who hunt wolves, she hates the idea of caging herself in. And she can't live in a town when it reminds her that the only friend she had from home has now disappeared.

For a moment, Mebh goes quiet...and then she suddenly bares her teeth and lets out a guttural growl, the screen shaking violently as she takes the Omni and throws it on the ground in anger and frustration. The screen shows the sky for a few moments before it shuts off.]

[The scruffy, middle-aged man that appears on the screen looks a bit uncomfortable. Videochat is certainly not his preferred mode of communication on these devices, but he does figure it would be helpful to see his face for what he's posting on the network to say, so.]

Uh...hey. I'm Qrow. If you don't know me from Deerington, I'm a Huntsman. Which--mostly means I've fought a lot of monsters and sh--[hm. children.]...crap like that.

So anyway, it's halfway through October, and the streets aren't overflowing with blood and corpses, and far as I know nobody's gotten eaten by monsters or lost their mind and gone on a murdering rampage. But that probably just means the town's waiting for us to let our guard down.

[Or maybe that's just paranoia. But Qrow would rather err on the side of paranoia rather than complacence, considering his last October.]

Point is, now seems like as good a time as any to learn to defend yourself if you don't already know how to fight. I uh, I used to teach teenagers in a combat school, a few years ago? So I've got some experience.

...Don't expect a lot, I quit for a reason--[that reason being, honestly, Ruby getting admitted to Beacon a full two years early, but shhh]--but you can get the basics down.

So yeah. Let me know.